Saving Rose 2: Journal of a Hope
by Queen Of Idiots
Summary: Sequel to SR: Rose is slowly sinking into depression, and it's eating at her parents. To cure her, they arrange for her and Martin to meet again... {PROGRESS ON LATEST CHAPTERS ARE POSTED ON MY BIO}
1. What Happened After

**Note:**_ Sequel to Saving Rose, and loaded with Martin/Rose. And yes, you do have to read the first one to understand what happens in this story, but you don't have to read this to get what happens in the first one – it can end there if you want. But if you're still reading…_

_Redwall © Brian Jacques_

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SAVING ROSE 2: Journal of a Hope

Chapter One

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Gonff was sitting by Redwall's abbey pond with his wife Columbine. It was a warm day out, and nobeast wished to be stuck indoors. Babes were running away from the big badgermum named Bella, as she chased after them, roaring. Columbine greeted the aging abbess as she approached.

"Hello, Abbess Germaine. What brings you here?"

The Abbess chuckled softly to herself. "What, am I too old to enjoy the sun's warmth?"

Gonff winked at her, a gesture she could barely see through her failing eyesight. "Aye, I suppose maybe we can make an exception for you, mother." The couple helped Germaine settle down between them.

Uselessly looking around out of habit, the abbess questioned, "Where is our friend Martin?"

The mousethief sighed. "Up on the battlements, abbess. Our warrior chooses to be alone at the strangest times."

All three mice were silent until Columbine offered to fetch him.

"That would be lovely, dear," Germaine smiled at Gonff's wife. They both watched Columbine go as she excused herself and went to find the abbey's founder.

Martin was indeed on the battlements, separate from the cheerful abbey dwellers. There was something about happy days that wrenched his heart out. He knew it wasn't healthy, but the warrior preferred to be alone when they came, and reminisce about the past. He was much older now than he had been then, and rather handsome. Still his memories of past days like this lingered.

The mouse heard a beast climbing the steps up to his spot, but did not acknowledge them. He listened to the sounds the coming beast made – light pawsteps burdened with a purpose, and a swishing of the tail against the stones. A female mouse – most likely Columbine. He ignored her presence until she spoke to him.

"Martin," she breathed. As close friends as they were, he was always unsettling to be around on tranquil sunny days. Martin glanced at her, letting Columbine know that he was listening. She caught the look and continued.

"Come sit with Gonff, and abbess and I," she said gently as she sat beside him on Redwall's sun warmed stones.

He was silent for a moment. "Tell the abbess that I'll be along shortly," he said, aware that Gonff's wife had been sent to get him.

Yet Columbine did not move, nor did she speak. Some of Martin's orders demanded to be obeyed immediately, but this was not one them. Instead she sat by him, and stared out at Mossflower Woods.

"We freed this land together," she said so softly that Martin barely heard her.

"We did," he confirmed, unsure of why she was repeating this known fact. In one of his moods, he didn't tolerate beasts saying things for the sake of talking. Another reason to steer clear of others.

"Do you want me to leave you alone?" Columbine looked at him.

Martin said nothing. No point in denying it when it was obviously true. Columbine knew this, but she asked anyway.

Columbine smiled, and squeezed his paw in a friendly gesture. "The abbess is expecting you," she said, then left him alone.

The warrior wasn't pleased with his own selfish acts of ungratefulness. He wanted to smile at Columbine, thank her, and walk down to where Abbess Germaine was waiting for him. But his mood made him stay where he was, and memories of what he gave up always haunted him on these kinds of days. Not that Martin resented Redwall's peace, but he could have been somewhere else right now, enjoying the sun with another beast…

He closed his eyes and reasoned with himself. Past was past, present was present. She _wasn't _there with him, and nothing he did would change that. That didn't mean he had to take it out on others. This thought in mind, Martin left his little sanctuary and started walking down to the abbey pond.

All three were surprised when Martin joined them, as none expected him to really come down. They welcomed him nonetheless. Gonff placed a paw around Martin's shoulders, and winked at him. "Missed my irresistible personality already, mate?"

Martin snorted in disbelief, then coughed and pretended to have done it by mistake.

Gonff acted hurt as Columbine and Abbess roared with laughter.

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_EDIT... I've gone through and edited the formatting. Is it okay? Please let me know if some parts are screwey._

_I apologise once again if the formatting is messed up... the coffee still isn't good enough._


	2. Depression Affects

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SAVING ROSE 2: Journal of a Hope

Chapter Two

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The same pleasant sun shone upon Noonvale. The one that occupied Martin's thoughts had him in her own. The stunning female mouse named Laterose sat by a patch of old, dusty dirt, in a collapsed ruin that was once the feared fortress Marshank. Laterose, also known as Rose, was now an adult, and her childhood's pretty looks had given way to intense beauty. She had a flask of water in her paw, which she used to water the patch of flowers that decorated the dirt's head. She whispered to it so lovingly that any onlooker would think she was out of her mind.

"So many seasons have passed, Martin, so many I forget to count. But I haven't forgotten you," she paused to stroke the dirt, now identified as a grave. "Once, you cleared this place of evil. Now you bring it beauty," Rose told the patch of flowers, under the pretense of talking to Martin, and they swayed in the breeze with pride.

The mousemaid resisted the urge to lay down by the grave and cry. Her friends and family would worry. Instead Rose got up and brushed herself off, then headed back to the entrance of the fortress. The otter Starwort was waiting for her there, as he always did, to give her a ride back to Noonvale via his boat.

They got back to the village deep within the woods long past noon, evening crawling near. Her brother Brome greeted her, aware of where she went every five days.

"Dinner soon," her reminded her. She nodded and went to help out in the kitchens.

Her dear friends Pallum and Grumm welcomed her warmly. At first, they accompanied Rose to Martin's grave, but they believed it was time to move on. They worked in silence, with nothing to say.

The days after Martin's 'death' were grim times. Beasts that knew him found it hard to smile, and there wasn't much to smile about. Urran Voh and Aryah acted especially strange, as they winced or looked ashamed of themselves whenever beasts mentioned the warrior's passing, rarely as they did.Yet nobeast took it harder than Rose, who had never sung a single note to anybeast but Martin's grave since then. They all looked at her with pity and chagrin, her parents most of all.

…It wasn't supposed to go like this. They had agreed that Martin would leave to ensure their daughter's safety. They had predicted she would mourn, but not that she would hold on, and refuse to move forward. They never thought it would be this _serious_, that their bonds ran deeper than they had assumed, that she was… _so deep in love_.

She was deep, deep down, past the point of return. Nothing could cause her to rise back up and move on, as Aryah and Urran Voh had hoped.

There was also Josephine, the mousemaid. She was older now, about the age Rose had been when she met Martin. Josephine, too, could barely stand to see her friend so heartbroken. But she said nothing.

...One day, two days before Rose's next visit to Martin's grave, Boldred came to check up on things at Noonvale. She was aware of Rose's heartache, and watched along with her parents as she suffered. It broke her heart as much as it did theirs, for she too knew the truth. After seeing the lost maid staring blankly at the sword given to Martin by Amballa, Boldred could take no more. She visited Urran Voh and Aryah the afternoon of the day she arrived.

"We need to do something." The owl said softly.

"But what!" Urran said, frustrated. "We did everything. Show her the most beautiful sights, sing her the most wondrous songs, introduce her to other male mice! She pays no attention to any of them! Well, except that last one. She mostly just glares at them though." He said hopelessly.

"The only thing that could change her is, in fact, Martin," Aryah. "But that's not possib-"

"Isn't it?" Boldred looked at her and her husband sternly. "It's been so long, you've forgotten _why_ he's gone. Martin said that his restlessness and proneness to wandering would endanger her, but not Martin himself. I hear he's settled down. You must've head about it too – Redwall Abbey. Why not let them have a little reunion?"

Aryah and Urran Voh shared a look. "It could work," the chieftain said slowly.

"It will work," Boldred assured them. "I know Martin as well as you do, and I'm sure he won't object to seeing Rose again."

Boldred decided not to stick around to tell Rose the news. Somebeast had to alert Martin, after all. Now it was up to Urran Voh and Aryah to break it to her. They had agreed to tell Pallum, Grumm, and Brome also, as they were all friends of the warrior. The patriarch of Noonvale and his wife chose a moment when all four where together.

They were in the Council Lodge, adjusting the plates for lunch. It was raining out, and not fit to eat. As if fate favoured them, there were no other beasts around. Rose was looking like she always did these days; haunted and far away.

"Daughter," Aryah said slowly. Rose put the spoons she was arranging down and turned. The other three looked up but kept working. "How…" Aryah took a breath.

Urran took over. "Rose, and all of you, how would you like to see Martin?"

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	3. Digging Up Graves

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SAVING ROSE 2: Journal of a Hope

Chapter Three

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"Rose, and all of you, how would you like to see Martin?"

All four of them froze. Rose looked up at her parents with wild eyes. "What, dig up his grave?" She said in horror. "No, thank you,"

Urran Voh scoffed. "Dig up an _empty_ grave, you mean."

Pallum stared at he and Aryah. "What are you saying, sir?"

Brome scowled. "Father, Mother, stop it. What kind of sick joke is this? Martin's grave is _not_ empty, the maid Josephine claims to have buried him herself –"

Aryah frowned at her son. "Did she, now? Perhaps you heard wrong. Look, here she is now – let's ask her to confirm."

Josephine was indeed coming their way, with stack of more plates. She stopped dead as she saw all six beasts looking at her with strange expressions. "Can I help you?" she asked timidly.

"Jose," Rose said sternly. "That day at Marshank when we saw you, you were... burying... Martin, were you not?"

Josephine looked at Urran in shock. At a nod from him, she stuttered, "No."

Grumm was astounded. "Burr, miz, you'm said-"

She shook her head. "On the contrary, the last I saw of him he was tired, but alive. I used the shovel I brought with me and claimed to have buried him."

There was a shocked silence. Grumm, Rose, Pallum and Grumm turned to Aryah and Urran. "You were saying…?" Rose whispered, almost dangerously.

Her father was most uncomfortable. "Before we get into anything, let me say this: it was for the best."

Rose would have replied something, and rather nastily at that, but her mother interrupted her. "Back to what we were _really_ saying. Do you want to go see Martin or not?"

Rose did not have to answer. Brome and Pallum hugged each other with glee in response.

* * *

Things were a slightly different story at Redwall. A few days after Boldred had left Noonvale, she arrived to Martin's home. It was still raining, though storming was a better word. The owl was welcomed into cavern hole and introduced to Redwall's Founders after she had dried off. She gave a self-satisfied smirk to a rather horrified Martin, something the onlookers wondered about.

"I'm just a messenger," she explained to the others. "and I need to have a word with a certain beast."

Trying hard to ignore the inquiring stares of the others, Martin let Boldred lead him out into the Great Hall.

As the door closed, Gonff rose and placed his ear against the door. He winked at his wife as she gave him a cold, disagreeing look. Yet, soon all but the elders had their ears pressed against the door, listening intently.

"Boldred, what's the meaning of this? What in the blazes brings you here?" Martin's shocked voice said.

"Your friends at Noonvale miss you, warrior," the wise owl said.

"But Rose-!"

"That's precisely it, Martin. Things have been getting out of wing. Urran and Aryah sent me to see if you would mind having some visitors, and surely your abbey is up to the job."

"Well, of course! But-" Boldred's cold stare stopped him from saying further. "Er, of course I don't mind. Redwall is open to all," Martin said lamely.

"Good. They'll be here before the season is over," Boldred said. "Now, where do I sleep?"

It was a very exhausted Martin that showed the owl her quarters.

Boldred left the next day, and was back to Noonvale within three days. She was practically bowled over by Rose, who had grown used to the idea that Martin might still be alive. Preparations were made, and soon Grumm, Pallum, Rose, and Brome were ready to set off to Redwall Abbey.

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	4. Talking In Your Sleep

**IMPORTANT; **_Ooookay… before I start, I just wanted to say that this story was just going to be a long romantic MxR one-shot, with no real plot or conflict. Then I read I read a certain comment (yes, this is your cue to go read the reviews, folks) and felt pretty sheepish. So I'm scrapping the chapters I had done up to this point and I'm rewriting some sort of conflict from here on. If you want to read the alternate/scrapped chapters, just write me an email and I'll send them to you. ) Huh, and I thought I was done writing this fic. Pssh._

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SAVING ROSE 2: Journal of a Hope

Chapter Four

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Rose, Pallum, Grumm, and Brome were on their way to Redwall!

Pallum and Grumm were sitting at the edge of Starwort's otter boat. They were prone to random bursts of happiness whenever somebeast uttered words connected to Martin, Rose especially. Even Starwort and his wife were eager to see the warrior again.

"Hurr, Oi can't b'lieve we're a-goin' t'see maister Marthen again!" Grumm was tense with anticipation.

Pallum chuckled. "Me too, Grumm-chum. Think of the adventures we'll have!" The hedgehog got up and did a little dance. Rose and Grumm laughed.

Brome shook his head, not wanting to dash the hopes of his friends. It had been quite long now, they were no longer the children they had been then. It was possible that Martin had found a replacement for Rose, that he had easily forgotten them…. Brome sighed. Best not mention his theories to anybeast. Instead he sat down by his friends and mentally prepared himself for the worst.

The morning sun beat down on the waters, making them twinkle and dance around the boat as it sped forward. Starwort brought out a light brunch of spicy soup and seasoned bread, and everybeast gathered around to get their share. In the midst of it, something made Rose look up.

"Look, look!" The mousemaid pointed excitedly at the belltower of Redwall Abbey as it crept into view behind the withdrawing foliage.

Starwort's wife Marigold whooped as she calculated the distance mentally. "Aye, should be there before sundown!"

Everybeast on board cheered.

The day wore on, and Pallum had declared himself sick of fish and soup, much to Grumm's dismay. Laughing, Marigold offered them the chance to go foraging for fruit.

Grabbing an empty sack from Starwort, Rose nudged Brome and Grumm. "Oh, come on, you two. Why pull long faces? There's lots of wonderful fruit here. It'll all make a wonderful pie for lunch!"

Grumbling, Grumm got up and took a sack viciously. Brome followed with a solemn expression, and shook his head at Rose's inquiring gaze. "It's nothing," he assured her.

Rose would normally not have put up with it. But… Martin. He was so close! Nothing could dampen her spirits now that she knew they were so near.

Brome watched her run ahead to catch up with Pallum, giggling.

She may be older than him, but… his sister just wasn't using her head about this. He once had many doubts about Martin's type. He remembered watching a certain warrior squirrel gleefully kill off vermin one by one, and his being disgusted by the joy the beast had gotten off slaying. Yet he also called back the memory of that same squirrel, laughing as he battled for his life against gigantic odds. Brome could still visualize the warrior squirrel, once a slave, embrace his fate and his enemies. He just couldn't figure it out. Warriors… dangerous but loyal. Would Martin accept Rose again? Or just close himself off to her?

…Were things still the way they had left them?

Grumm shoved Brome playfully. "Zur, you'm be awful quiet, hurr." Brome smiled at the friendly mole, and buried his worries for the time being.

"Well, somebeast's got to, with all the din you're making!"

* * *

A few minutes later found Rose, Brome, Grumm and Pallum roving about the woods of Mossflower. They had found black berries, raspberries, pomegranates, and a few other fruit they had never seen around Noonvale. Their sacks were almost full, and the group was considering turning back. 

Pallum took a berry from his pack and thew it at Grumm. The unexpecting mole received the gift on the snout. Brome laughed lightly as Grumm chased the hedgehog around a tree, but Rose wasn't paying attention.

She was eyeing a flower patch not too far from where they currently were. A beautiful patch of chrysanthemums were elegantly lounging in a patch of shade. Smiling to herself, she silently slipped away from her friends and leaned over the beautiful flowers. Rose gently picked a lone bud and –

A massive digging claw flew from the surrounding shade and connected with her chest. Too caught off guard to yell, Rose tipped backwards and was caught before she hit the ground. The claws… the claws?_ Digging claws_. Dazed, Rose felt herself carried roughly away from the others. _Mole claws?_ Her vision blurred as she was slung over a silky-furred shoulder, the grass bed now taking place of the sky. Why...

Wait...

…_Grumm_?

* * *

"No." 

Rose sat up, blinking. A massive pain throbbed in her chest where she had been struck. Looking around, Rose realized she was a in a tent. The tent's fabric was made out of _some_ animal's hide, and it didn't exactly smell that crisp 'n' clean.

"Whoever this 'Martin' character is, I'm not him, miss."

The mousemaid turned around to the tent's enrance and saw a cloaked figure blocking it. It was rather short and plumb, but the voice was hard and sly.

"Excuse me...?" Rose blinked.

"You were calling out for said beast, miss."

The maid bowed her head as she felt a blush rising to her cheeks. Oh dear. 

It looks like things were not exactly going as planned.

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_That over with, I was just wondering... does anyone have a specific request for this story? Like, minor characters or moments between other existing characters (I'm not exaclty talking romantic, but that can work too). Since I have ideas for the skeleton of the plot, but not the meat. _

I sure use disturbing metaphors.


	5. Plans and Stupid Beasts

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New minor character… Sella and the non-existent dibbun crew © me. Or something. Good news… I've edited the other chapters and I will KILL someone if they still don't work.

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SAVING ROSE 2: Journal of a Hope

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Chapter Five

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One hour had passed, and Brome and the others were deeply worried. Rose wasn't really the type to wander off on her own without telling anybeast. After telling Starwort and Marigold, the group, now lowered to three, went back to the woods to look for the mousemaid.

Pallum squinted about the forest, calling her name. The others walked behind him as they also looked around, with Brome bringing up the rear. He paused for one second, trying to identify a shape behind the trees further away.

Grumm noticed. "Burr, whut iz it, surr?"

Brome stared for another moment, but the figure had melted into the trees. Seeing nothing anymore, he shook his head. "I thought I saw a… never mind."

The faithful mole looked at Brome curiously, then turned to catch up with Pallum.

…Leaving Brome completely alone.

Pallum and Grumm heard the sound of a beast choking, and instinctively turned around. Instead of seeing Brome, as they expected, they saw nothing but air and a rustling bush to the right of where Brome had been. Thoroughly frightened, the mole and the hedgehog clung to one another as they cautiously approached the bush.

They would have gotten further, if two extremely well-aimed pebbles had not connected with the top of their skulls.

A silhouette silently creeped out of the surrounding foliage and slinked up the two crumpled creatures. It prodded them with a keen digging claw until it was satisfied that they were truly unconscious. Then it raised the other paw and gestured for another beast to come forward. There was the shaking of leaves and branches, and said beast dropped from the nearby tree, throwing some pebbles it held in it's paw on the ground.

"C'mon, man, takes this one," said the first creature, pointing at Grumm. All it's features were shielded by the long dark green cloak it wore, except for its shortness and pudginess. The beast had a rough voice that suggested overuse.

The second grumbled, donned in the same garb as the other. "Don't youse tell meh whut to do. Whah do I gots to have teh weakling?"

"Man, don't argue with me, fool," snapped the other, and picked up Pallum with distaste. "I shouldn't even be doing this dirty work at all."

They two argued quietly as they disappeared into the forest.

- -

Some time later, the abductors arrived at some sort of battle camp. It was located in a small clearing, with crudely constructed tents scattered across it. In the center of the camp was the biggest tent, with two flags on either side of the entrance. The flags, as well as the entire camp, seemed to be made out of old, rough hides. Some still had bits of fur on them, while others hadn't been properly washed out of blood. Yet, the main attraction was the five ominous poles in front of the huge tent, which stood roughly seven feet tall and were encircled by heaps and heaps of firewood. The entire camp faced these poles as if they were religious totems.

The two dragged their load to the center of the settlement and dumped them unceremoniously to the ground. The first, being undoubtedly the smartest, loudly thumped on the entrance flap.

- -

Despite the time that had gone by, Rose had still not identified her visitor as a friend or foe. She could safely say from the voice that it was a male, and a rather polite one, but he had no intention of letting her knowing more. Although she was not tied up, Rose's freedom was limited. The captor was still blocking the entrance, and didn't feel like moving much.

"May I please get some fresh air?" Laterose pleaded for the third time. Ah, verbal synonyms. Yet, the stranger shook his head.

"I'm afraid not," he laughed. Perhaps it was meant to be reassuring, but Rose found it creepy. "It's dangerous outside. You might get hurt."

Rose could vaguely see the glint of a menacing smile within the shadows of the stranger's hood. Was this supposed to be a joke? Was she being amusing? This thought suddenly angered her.

"By killer insects that feast on maids being held against their will, I'm sure," She remarked coldly.

"I doubt you are familiar with the terrain, miss."

Rose frowned. Okay, maybe, but it still seemed stupid.

__

Wait…

"You've been watching us all along?" She exploded. How else would he know she was not from the area?

"Ah…" Apparently Rose's question hit the mark.

She would have implored further, but a hard _thump_ interrupted their conversation. Rose fumed at missing her chance while the figure lifted the flap. "Yes?" he asked coldly.

"Sir, we've got the rest of them, man," spoke somebeast outside.

The stranger's voice indicated that he was pleased as he replied, "At last. Make them comfortable while I compromise with our friend here."

"You mean –"

"Yes, you buffoon, that's what I mean. Don't waste my time!" The cloaked beast roughly pulled the flap down, discontinuing any further talk.

The mousemaid gulped. The others… well, that could only mean one thing, couldn't it?

"What is there to compromise about?" Rose's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, don't get me wrong. You have barely any say in what happens, and neither do your friends. You are merely… props. Well, miss, please make yourself comfortable first. I have a few things to explain." Rose grudgingly did so as he continued.

"Of course you know about Redwall Abbey. Well, it's not what it's made out to be. You see, a few seasons previous to now, when the founders of Redwall were still only planning to build the abbey, they captured a great number of my people to build it for them. Why they did such a cruel act, I do not know, but I figure it's because the woodlanders were too weak for construction themselves.

"You would think that the so-called peaceful creatures would let them go once the abbey was complete, but it was not so. They proved to be far more cruel than they let on, as they still have not let my people free to this day. The founders refuse to barter for my kind, and we can only imagine what they are treated like within that place."

Rose wasn't really buying it. Martin himself was supposedly a founder, and she simply refused to believe he would let such things happen inside his abbey. "And?" She asked snootily.

"Quiet!" he roared, enraged he didn't believe him. Rose's nerve failed her and she scooted away from him, cowed.

The cloaked beast continued. "I understand you are close with a specific founder?"

Rose's eyes went wide.

"Yes, I see. In that case, I intend on trading you for m- _their_ abbey."

Rose's eyes went wider.

"I know it sounds impossible," he said silkily, "it may sound like much, but their abbey is a fair price to pay for their unfair enslavement of my people, don't you think?"

The mousemaid shook her head. "Wouldn't it make more sense to just ask for your people back?"

"No, it has been far too long. Things have gotten to the point where their abbey is the _only_ price left to pay for their deeds."

"I don't believe you."

"Ah, no matter. My demands stand firm."

"What if they refuse? What did you do to my friends?" She said fearfully.

"Well, that's exactly it! I plan on using your other little friends to… persuade Redwall's founders. You see, if they give up their abbey and my people, they'll get you and your friends in return. If they do not comply with my wishes, you and your friends will… well, you'll see."

Rose gulped. Nothing sounded fair or made sense. He was probably insane.

- -

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Pallum and the others weren't all that better off. They were bound together by a lengthy piece of rope and under the somewhat watchful eye of yet another cloaked guard. They were connected by their paws in a triangle, with Brome in front, and Grumm and Pallum to his right and left, respectively. Grumm came to first, and was followed by Brome and Pallum. The guard, not yet.

Grumm groaned softly, rubbing his aching skull. Eyeing the semi-conscious guard suspiciously, Pallum nudged Brome. "Where are we?"

He shrugged. "Heck if I know. Maybe we can ask our friend over there." He took a deep breath and yelled out in his famous loud voice, "OY!"

The guard came fully to, grunting and looking sleepily about. "Huh, whut?"

In a softer voice, Brome tried a polite approach. "Sorry, my friend, but I thought I heard somebeast coming. Didn't want you yo get in trouble, you see."

The guard nodded. "Huh, okays. Thank youse." Then he was quiet, as he apparently didn't know what else to say.

"So, uh…" Brome looked around innocently while Grumm and Pallum tried to understand what was happening. "Where is this anyway?"

"A tent in Mosspedal or whatevers wood," said the guard cheerfully.

Brome sighed inwardly. He had hoped the guard was slow and gullible, but not completely _stupid_. "Uh, I mean… _where_ in Mossflo- ah, Mosspedal?"

The guard cocked his head to one side. He was becoming rather suspicious. "Huh, whats do youse care?"

"Oh, I don't know. Just wonderin'." Brome shrugged, but inwardly seethed. Great! His one chance had been ruined by a stupid answer.

"Huh, I sees." The guard nodded, revealing a long, black furred muzzle as the hood moved with his head. A blink of an eye later, it was gone.

Pallum, Grumm, and Brome looked at each other, trying to see if one of them had recognized the revealed feature. Grumm and Brome were clueless, but Pallum looked around with wide eyes, indicating that he had something to say. Hoping to get a chance to tell his friends, he tried to distract the mysterious guard.

"Well, turns out nobeast came," Pallum said slyly. The guard looked at him and scratched the top of his head through the hood.

"Oh yeahs, I fergets about that,"

"Hurr, you'm can go back to whutchin' nao, zurr," Grumm butt in helpfully.

Although he had tried to help, the guard was instantly suspicious of the mole. "Psh, Ah dun trusts yer kind."

The three friends looked at each other, worried. Things had been going somewhat well…

"Um, he's right, though." Brome said quietly. "You should get all the sleep you can, because no doubt a strong beast like you has a lot of fatiguing duties."

The guard cocked his head to the side again. "Fah-tee-ging?"

"Tiring," Pallum said quickly.

"Huh, right," The guard agreed. "Ye'll calls meh agin if anybeast comes, huh?"

Grumm nodded and Brome said "Absolutely!" in what he hoped was a trustworthy voice.

Satisfied, the guard sat down by the door and nodded off.

All three let out quiet relieved sighs. "What did you find out, Pal?" Brome turned his head to face his friend.

The hedgehog shrugged. "Not much, really. I just thought that, you know, his nose is the same shape as Grumm-chum's."

Brome scrunched his face in thought. "Yes, now that you mention it, they did look alike!"

The mouse, hedgehog, and mole looked at each other. What was this cloaked creature, and why did he resemble Grumm?

- -

Martin, meanwhile, wasn't too happy. No other beast was too worried, since they did not even know who was coming. Yet Martin knew all too well.

"Shouldn't they be here yet?" Martin asked somewhat angrily the next day.

Gonff shrugged. "I don't know, mate. What's sinking your boat?" He asked while wiping his son's muzzle from whipped cream.

Skipper, Amber, Gonff and Martin were sitting in the orchard, looking after the dibbuns and enjoying the sun's shine.

Martin looked away and sighed. "Nothing. Never mind."

The other three looked at each other. His moods again. "Of course," Amber said softly.

Martin tried to shed his worries and turned his attention to his charge, a dibbun named Sella. She was a cute little otter that couldn't speak, but moved quite fast to make up for it. "Hey, hey!" the warrior scolded as she tried to slip away for a dip in the lake.

Laughing and without a care, they all took advantage of the rest of the sunny day. Well, almost all of them.

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WAS THAT LONG ENOUGH! I just want you guys to know that if I DO write longer chapters, they will take longer to be put up. So, what do you guys rather? Shorter chapters and quicker updates, or the opposite?

OK, I really need feedback on the foe's plan here. It was really hard for me to lay it out so that it made sense, for some reason. Does it stick for you guys? Please tell me how I could improve it, if possible. Also, the whole 'back at the ranch' thing is a metaphor to mean 'wherever we left off last'. Ever read A Series Of Unfortunate Events? Either way, I hope that clears it up.


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